For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 30, 2005

U.S.-Russia Mark Major Nonproliferation Milestone

STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY

Today, the United States and Russia issued a Joint Statement to mark an
important milestone: the completion of the conversion of the equivalent of
10,000 Russian nuclear warheads into fuel for nuclear reactors that provide
10 percent of America's electricity.

Marking this important nonproliferation milestone underscores the success
of U.S. nonproliferation cooperation with Russia in eliminating
highly-enriched uranium (HEU) from dismantled Russian nuclear warheads and
converting the material to peaceful uses.

In 1993, the United States and Russia signed an agreement to down-blend 500
metric tons of HEU from Russian nuclear weapons (enough for 20,000 weapons)
to low-enriched uranium (LEU). Today, at the halfway point of this
program, the United States and Russia remain committed to completing the
down-blending of the remaining material by 2013.